I hear the howl of the wolf
Mourning
From the shadows of the dying forest
Listen:
Do you hear the wolves howling?
I hear the song of the whale
Beseeching
From the depths of the warming ocean
Hush now:
Do you hear the whales singing?
I hear the cry of the eagle
Pleading
From the heights of the smoking sky
Listen:
Do you hear the eagles crying?
I hear the trumpet of the elephant
Warning
From the swathe of the burning grassland
Quiet now:
Do you hear the elephants trumpeting?
I hear the snort of the buffalo
Deriding
From the breadth of the flooding plain
Listen:
Do you hear the buffaloes snorting?
I hear the saw of the jaguar
Echoing
From the crags of the eroding mountain
Be still:
Do you hear the jaguars sawing?
I hear cough of the kangaroo
Pleading
From the flats of the scorching outback
Listen:
Do you hear the kangaroos coughing?
I hear the honk of the geese
Berating
From the pools of the shrinking wetland
Take note:
Do you hear the geese honking?
I hear the growl of the bear
Cursing
From the floes of the melting iceberg
Listen:
Do you hear the bears growling?
I hear the squeak of the dolphin
Grieving
From the tides of the choking shore
Breath in:
Do you hear the dolphins squeaking?
I hear the chatter of the ape
Questioning
From the treetops of the receding jungle
Listen:
Do you hear apes chattering?
This is the call of the wild
Inviting us
To take heed and act before it’s too late
Even now:
Do you hear the wild calling?
Wayne Visser © 2024
Book
Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems
This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together nature poems by Wayne Visser, celebrating the diversity, beauty and ever-changing moods of our planet. The anthology includes many old favourites like “I Think I Was a Tree Once” and “A Bug’s Life”, as well as brand new poems like “Monet’s Dream” and “The Environmentalist”. Then as we turned our faces to the moon / Our hands entwined, our hearts in sync, in tune / We felt the fingers of the silken breeze / And made our wishes on the falling leaves / A gust of wind set off a whispered sigh / Among the trees that leaned against the sky. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.
